Call drops declined by 60%, says Manoj Sinha

Sinha also said that as per studies done nationally and worldwide including the WHO, there was no adverse impact on human health and Indian radiation laws were more stringent than anywhere in the world.Muntazir Abbas | ETTelecom | Updated: April 18, 2017, 20:43 IST

NEW DELHI: Telecom minister Manoj Sinha Tuesday said that call drop rate has come down by more than 60% in the last four months and said that as per WHO (World Health Organisation), there was no effect of tower radiation on human health.

“In the last four months, as per statistics, more than are than 60% call drops were reduced and now there is no spectrum scarcity. In the days to come, more improvement will come,” Sinha said on the sidelines of an industry event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The industry, according to the minister has added 2.5 lakh towers in the last six months.

In a recent report sector regulator Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) said that service providers such as Bharti Airtel, Aircel and Reliance Communications did not meet various quality norms for 2G services in multiple licence areas for the quarter ended December 2016.

Sinha also said that as per studies done nationally and worldwide including the WHO, there was no adverse impact on human health and Indian radiation laws were more stringent than anywhere in the world.

In an interim order, India’s apex court recently directed state-run telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to shut down a tower in Gwalior on a plea by a 42-year old Harish Chand Tiwari who claimed he got cancer due to radiation from that tower.

Telcos led by lobby group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that the public should not panic and read the Supreme Court’s interim order in its entirety with was related to an isolated case.

The government, according to Sinha is also planning to form a committee to oversee connectivity in villages that were not connected.

“Nearly 56,000 villages were unconnected in 2011 as per the telecom department while 30,000 to 35,000 villages still remain unconnected which required an aggressive plan of action,” telecom department additional secretary Sivasailam said.

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After PSU banks, the government is likely to infuse capital in two chronically ill telecom PSUs BSNL and MTNL, and the Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision on 4G spectrum allocation to them by the third week of the current month after DoT places the note before it for consideration.

At a high-level meeting at the PMO late Tuesday, it was also decided that the two telcos will frame a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to reduce their employee strength, which will be followed by a reduction in the retirement age to 58.